How to Delete Process Applications from IBM BPM 7.5.1

As a new feature of the Business Process Manager V7.5.1 platform, process applications can now be deleted from the repository. In the previous version of BPM, version 7.5.0 & 7.5.0.1, users could only archive snapshots within a process application. This did not remove the application; rather it was merely hidden from the default view and it was still stored in the repository and the database.

In the latest version of BPM, users can now actually delete the process application, and in turn, delete all snapshots and instances tied to that application, including deletion of these entries from the database.

To delete a process application, click on the process application that you want to delete and then click on Manage.

Next, click on Archive Process App and click on Archive.

Click on the Process Apps tab of Process Center and then click on Archived.

Click on the process app that you previously archived and select Delete Process App, click on Delete.

If you then return to the Process Apps tab in Process center, you will notice that the process app no longer appears in the list.

We can actually confirm that all database entries are also removed as part of the process app deletion. Here we can see that the entry for our application named TestApplication was added to the BPMDB in the table LSW_PROJECT.

After deleting the process app, this entry is no longer present in the table. If the application contained snapshots and BPDs, these entries would also be removed from the LSW_SNAPSHOT and LSW_BPD tables respectively.

Please keep in mind, that this cleanup only happens in Process Center. Currently, the product does not have the capaibility to clean up these components on the Process Server side. However, this is an important new feature to help keep your Process Center repository clean and its database clean and efficient.

Seth Gagnon, a Senior Consultant for Prolifics, has over eight years experience in the healthcare industry and has worked with business process management technology to automate member enrollment and claim adjudication for a Fortune 200 healthcare client. He has experience in IBM middleware products such as WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Business Process Manager, and other products in the IBM BPM stack. Seth received his BS in Management Information Systems from the University of CT and his MS in Technology Commercialization from Northeastern University.

Establishing a BPM Center of Excellence - IBM Impact Session #2135

Next week at Impact, I will be presenting on the topic of establishing a BPM Center of Excellence. When business process thinking becomes more ingrained in the culture of an organization, and the benefits of process improvement and innovation begin to be realized, the demands on BPM teams will increase, sometimes dramatically. It is by that point organizations must consider how to manage, prioritize and support multiple initiatives across the enterprise. A properly defined and established BPM Center of Excellence will provide the structure and orchestration needed to ensure an organization gets the most from its valuable resources, while continuing down the path of process maturity. This session will look at how a BPM Center of Excellence should be established and staffed, and where in the organization it should reside to deliver the most value.

People should attend this session to gain an understanding of how BPM Centers of Excellence can and should be the hub for all things BPM in an organization.

Session Details:
Establishing a Business Process Management Center of Excellence
Session Number: 2135
Speaker: Howard Webb, Prolifics
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Time: 3:15pm - 4:30pm
Location: Delfino 4101B

Howard Webb is the Director of BPM Advisory Services at Prolifics. Howard and his team provide consulting and guidance to clients in transitioning to highly efficient Process Managed business models, and equip them for success in their BPM initiatives. For over 25 years he has been a consultant, trainer, facilitator, and speaker on the topics of Business Process Management (BPM), data architecture, and project management. He founded the Midwest BPM Users Group and has published articles on BPM and enterprise architecture. Prior to coming to Prolifics Howard was founder and partner of Bizappia, a consulting and services firm focused on business agility, performance and innovation. Prior to Bizappia, he was a Sr. BPM Technical Specialist with IBM.

Viva Las Vegas!

It's almost IMPACT time and for all of us in the IBM community – it is our version of “March Madness." Starting on the 29th of April, Las Vegas will play host to the largest gathering of professionals that use the IBM WebSphere platform to build solutions that power Fortune 500 companies to the latest start up in the Silicon Valley.

For us at Prolifics, this is our largest event of the year and a great opportunity for us to get together with our customers, IBMers and peers in the industry. It’s our chance to discuss all of the great work we have done over the last year and learn from everyone in this community on the challenges facing us and the direction this industry is taking. However 2012 is very special for us in multiple ways – This year our customer Steve George from Huntington National Bank (HNB) will be a keynote speaker at IMPACT. On every occasion that Steve and I have met in Columbus, we have had very interesting conversations on what Steve’s vision for implementing SOA at the bank. He is one of those thought-leaders who clearly understands the opportunities and challenges that HNB faces. We at Prolifics are proud to have been and continue to be part of the journey at Huntington National Bank as they build their agile service-oriented enterprise and take their next steps to process-oriented excellence. I am really looking forward to listening to Steve and speaking with him again in Vegas. In addition to Huntington we will have Apple Vacations, CIGNA, IDP and several of our other customers presenting their success stories and how Prolifics helped them achieve their business needs. While you are in Vegas and enjoying the conference, please make your way to our booth and our sessions – this consolidated list should help you make Prolifics part of your IMPACT plans:

Visit www.prolifics.com/impact-2012.htm to see a complete list and read more about our upcoming speaking sessions.

For me personally, IMPACT 2012 adds another milestone to my professional career. I will be part of a panel of IBM Business Partners who will be discussing our success stories with the broader IBM community. I am really looking forward to hearing from my peers on the panel and adding value by providing my insights into what IBM and its Business Partner community can do together to help our customers and make them successful.

I’m looking forward to a great week and seeing everyone at IMPACT - "Viva Las Vegas!"

Rajiv Ramachandran first joined Prolifics as a Senior Consultant, and today is Vice President of the BPM & Connectivity Practice. As the leader of the BPM & Connectivity Practice, he leads a global consulting team at Prolifics that is responsible for helping our customers implement successful Enterprise Integration and BPM solutions. He has over 14 years of experience in the IT field having worked at IBM and at many of our key customers as a Solution Architect for several years implementing technology solutions in the Insurance and Healthcare sectors. An author in the IBM developerWorks community, Rajiv has presented at IBM Impact and IBM WebSphere Services Technical Conference.

Universal Messaging: Five MQ 7.1 Security Use Cases - IBM Impact Session #1869

This year at Impact, Prolifics’ AJ Aronoff will be teaming up with T. Rob Wyatt (IBM) to host a speaking session focused on the new and improved security model of WebSphere MQ 7.1. We had a chance to sit down with our IBM Champion himself and find out what we can expect.

Tell us about your speaking session at Impact.
AJ: T. Rob and I will be co-presenting on the new security features of MQ, which was designed to be the most secure version of MQ ever. We will showcase all the exciting new security features of this version of MQ, including securing queue managers by default, and creating channel policies that grant appropriate access based on custom authentication rules. Many companies are tightening their security practices, and we are looking forward to presenting a variety of security use cases, that should apply to most environments.

Why will Impact attendees want to attend this session?
AJ: Those that have worked with previous versions of WMQ know that security was a challenge that required attention to every detail. The latest version has a whole new security model that lets administrators create policies that apply to every channel. Organizations today are very concerned about security breaches and the damage they can bring to their business. WMQ 7.1 helps to avoid this “end of the world” nightmare in simplified and efficient ways. T. Rob and I have been involved in a variety of WMQ implementations and have seen all types of situations, both good and bad and we are always happy to share our experiences.

Other than your speaking session, what are you most looking forward to at Impact?
AJ: Impact is the greatest conference in the world! I look forward to spending time with people from Hursley, previous Impact conventions and the world. It’s always nice to see old friends!

Thanks for your time AJ! Sounds like this is a session not to be missed!

Session Details:
Title: Universal Messaging: Five MQ 7.1 Security Use Cases
Date: Monday, April 30th, 2012
Time: 12:15pm - 1:15pm
Location: Marcello 4403

To find out more about AJ's upcoming session, or to see a full list of Prolifics' speaking sessions at Impact, click here.

Ohio National Financial Services: IBM WebSphere Virtual Enterprise Implementation in a Mid-Size Company with Big Company Needs - IBM Impact Session #2417

Prolifics customer Ohio National Financial Services is presenting at IBM Impact 2012! Join Ohio National on Wednesday, May 2nd at 1:30pm for a look into the organization’s IBM WebSphere Virtual Enterprise Solution.

Here’s a preview of what Ohio National will outline during this session:

Ohio National Financial Services’ implementation of WebSphere Virtual Enterprise proves that companies of any size can reap benefits from the product. During this session, attendees will learn how WebSphere Virtual Enterprise has allowed them to do more with less by helping them consolidate their WebSphere Application Server infrastructure on a smaller set of virtual machines saving them capital costs. Operationally they have taken advantage of uninterrupted application rollouts to reduce downtime and increase staff productivity. As they mature with the product, they will be able to achieve even greater benefits for their WebSphere Application Server infrastructure using by implementing service policies to ensure service level agreements are met for their applications.

We’re looking forward to hearing more of Ohio National’s presentation! For more information, click here.

Session Details:
Session Number: 2417
Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Time: 1:30pm – 2:45pm
Location: Palazzo M

Customer Case Study: Cigna Healthcare and BPM Process-Centric Tools - IBM Impact Session #2108

At Impact 2012, Prolifics and Cigna are joining together to deliver an exciting case study focused around Cigna's innovation through BPM. During this presentation Anant Gupta (VP BPM at Prolifics) and Kevin Hutt (Cigna) will provide an exclusive look into the organization's strategic vision and how leveraging BPM process-centric tools brings the agility needed to grow and evolve over time.

We sat down with Prolifics' Howard Webb to get a better idea of what attendees can expect to hear at this session:

Can you tell us a little more about the session hosted by Prolifics and Cigna?
Business Process Management is often considered a solution for businesses that are struggling and in need of improvement. While this is true, successful organizations as well must be diligent about continuous improvement. This session, presented by Cigna will examine how a successful company is taking advantage of BPM as a new approach to aligning process execution with business strategy to provide even greater levels of customer service while continuing to drive down operating costs.

Why should someone at Impact attend this session?
People who are either beginning their BPM journey or have been involved in BPM for some time should attend this session. I believe they will be interested in hearing how a successful company is dealing with both the challenges and opportunities presented by moving to a process managed culture.

For more information about the session, click here. Be sure to stop by Prolifics' booth G1 at Impact and check out our other speaking sessions.

Session Details:
Prolifics & Cigna: Customer Case Study: Cigna Healthcare and BPM process-centric tools
Session Number: 2108
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Time: 1:30pm - 2:45pm
Location: Lando 4201A